Unplottable land?

[Spooky.]

Have any of you ever experienced what seems like "unplottable" land? Meaning, no matter how hard you try, a villager just will NOT move there?

I've been plot resetting Tom for 3 days, and he has gone in 4 different spots dozens and dozens of times, but has only gotten remotely close to where I want him maybe...5 times at most. I don't understand why, either. It's a big open space with no pwps nearby, and while there is a rock, I made a point to measure and re-measure the exact amount of space a villager's house needs, and I have MORE than enough space for his house. However, he just refuses to go there and I'm getting really upset. I spent weeks looking for him and I finally got him, but now he won't even move into the right spot. I'm worried that one of my other villagers will move out if I take too long.

But it does make me wonder...are there just some spots villagers CAN'T plot on, for no reason?

 

[Red Cat]

I don't think there are any areas with enough space that villagers can't plot on, but there are locations where villagers are more likely to plot. My theory for a while has been that the game plots the villager on a random space and then checks to see if there are any rivers, ponds, buildings, PWPs, cliffs, etc. where the plot is and if there is a problem, the game "moves" the plot one space at a time until it finds a legal plot location. This is why in my experience plots tend to show up near the river or near one of the buildings or near the cliff and why they usually don't appear in open spaces. I think you'd eventually find a good plot location if you keep trying, but it is hard because the odds seem to be in favor of the plot ending up next to the river or cliff.

 

[MillySoSilly]

This has happened to me with my villager Skye. She would not move into a spot I chose for her. She just moved everywhere but that spot. When she did move to the spot I wanted her to, she was only one space up...me being a perfectionist, I reset. I noticed that there was a Gyroid where I wanted her to plot her land. She never plotted her land on top of it. That could be a reason. Also, there are spot where villagers will not move. I have one of those spot and never had a villager move into that particular spot. I had to just give up on trying to make my villagers move onto unplottable spots. It really sucks, I know. One of the things I dislike about this game. Good luck finding a spot for him. ^^

 

[Spooky.]

I don't think there are any areas with enough space that villagers can't plot on, but there are locations where villagers are more likely to plot. My theory for a while has been that the game plots the villager on a random space and then checks to see if there are any rivers, ponds, buildings, PWPs, cliffs, etc. where the plot is and if there is a problem, the game "moves" the plot one space at a time until it finds a legal plot location. This is why in my experience plots tend to show up near the river or near one of the buildings or near the cliff and why they usually don't appear in open spaces. I think you'd eventually find a good plot location if you keep trying, but it is hard because the odds seem to be in favor of the plot ending up next to the river or cliff.

I'm just mega-frustrated. I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest plot reset I've ever done. I'm really worried about a villager moving out on me by the time I finish. Tom's space still shows up as a roped-off plot while I've been resetting so I'm *hoping* that'll prevent another villager from moving out but I don't know. Part of the problem, I guess, is that I only have one spot FOR him to go, as I've already reset my other 9 villagers in their spots.


- - - Post Merge - - -

This has happened to me with my villager Skye. She would not move into a spot I chose for her. She just moved everywhere but that spot. When she did move to the spot I wanted her to, she was only one space up...me being a perfectionist, I reset. I noticed that there was a Gyroid where I wanted her to plot her land. She never plotted her land on top of it. That could be a reason. Also, there are spot where villagers will not move. I have one of those spot and never had a villager move into that particular spot. I had to just give up on trying to make my villagers move onto unplottable spots. It really sucks, I know. One of the things I dislike about this game. Good luck finding a spot for him. ^^

I don't think a buried item is an issue. I have a fossil or something buried nearby where I want Tom's plot, and he's plopped his house right on top of it several times (but either way, the area I want his house on doesn't have anything buried in the section for him). I've looked for any possible thing that would stop him from moving there but there's none. No pwps, rocks, etc. No reason.

 

[Red Cat]

I posted this in the Q&A thread, but you can just check every day with your new character to see if a villager is in boxes. Since you are not loading your game, if a villager is in boxes, you can just quit and TT back to the day you adopted Tom (if you don't remember the day, then you can just change your system clock back a day and keep doing that each day until you are finally done plot resetting).

 

[Twisterheart]

There's one spot in my town where no one has ever lived. No one even plots there when I'm plot resetting. There's plenty of room there, too. I don't want anyone to live there, but I've always found it where that literally no one will move there.

 

[Spooky.]

I posted this in the Q&A thread, but you can just check every day with your new character to see if a villager is in boxes. Since you are not loading your game, if a villager is in boxes, you can just quit and TT back to the day you adopted Tom (if you don't remember the day, then you can just change your system clock back a day and keep doing that each day until you are finally done plot resetting).

It's probably unlikely a villager would be in boxes though, right? Since Tom still has a plot, there is usually a bit of a window around when villagers move in when one will move out, so I'm hoping that will stop any villagers from moving while I reset.

Maybe someone who has plot reset for a long time could confirm? I've heard of people resetting for a week or more.

 

[LinkToTheWorld]

Yes, I've had it and it was extremely frustrating. It was right after I learned how to plot reset and I kept thinking I must be doing something wrong.
They seems to plot their house everywhere, even in the strangest positions that I could have worked around but didn't really want to. There is still nobody in that spot now, I had to give up on the end, it's right between the lighthouse and the cafe. Not sure if that makes any difference. Is it near to a PWP where you want your villager to go? I assumed I had plenty of room there but maybe that's the problem in my case.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Oh and I just assumed you couldn't lose a villager with plot resetting. I never had a problem in that area. I thought that the game chose a moving villager when the game was loading and it sort of clicks in when it fully loads. Since that doesn't happen with plot resetting I think you should be okay.
I was on it quite a while and had no negative consequences with villagers leaving

 

[Foxxie]

I had this with Chrissy recently and it was so frustrating! I had a plot for her, right next to Francine where Lucky's house used to be... loads of space. Nope, she wasn't having any of it and kept plotting over my path by retail on the opposite side of town, which was by a rock, the river, a pond, a PWP and my fruit orchard, so pretty much the last place I would expect... but it went there over and over and over... I gave up in the end when she eventually as least plotted in my "residential area"... I moved some paths around, but for a while I thought she would never plot anywhere close.

And I never thought you could lose villagers if one is plotting, I thought the game left so many days between move ins and move outs?

 

[Chrystina]

this happened to me with marshal. 3 days. during those 3 days I googled for literally every single possible trick and tip and tested new things out on my own to increase likelihood that villagers will start plotting in different spots other than their "desired 2-3 spots". considering making a thread about it, since it does help. but it might just get pushed back in the forums lol.

just don't give up. if it's a dreamie, that is. eventually I got marshal in a good spot and so many times before that I would see a plot that I didn't like and considered working around it. so glad I didn't go through with it and kept resetting.


also if the acre you'd like them to be in already has three other villager houses or buildings (pwps with entrances) then they can't plot there.

 

[Foxxie]

also if the acre you'd like them to be in already has three other villager houses or buildings (pwps with entrances) then they can't plot there.

Is that actually true? Because where Merengue plotted this morning (perfect placement first time might I add! There are more than three houses in the immediate vicinity and the police station right behind it... odd.

 

[Chrystina]

Is that actually true? Because where Merengue plotted this morning (perfect placement first time might I add! There are more than three houses in the immediate vicinity and the police station right behind it... odd.

yeah. do you know exactly where your acres are? cause the middle of the houses may have just missed it by one tile.

for example heres a spreadsheet of my town (havent updated in a while)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oQkpr5v07vLM7mABoMu4wxAH_FHOuOl1e-Oi6u9FPA0/edit?usp=sharing

the red dots are what counts as the house being in that acre. for example that house BJ,17 just missed being in another acre by one tile...
hope that makes sense lol.

 

[Rabirin]

It's probably unlikely a villager would be in boxes though, right? Since Tom still has a plot, there is usually a bit of a window around when villagers move in when one will move out, so I'm hoping that will stop any villagers from moving while I reset.

Maybe someone who has plot reset for a long time could confirm? I've heard of people resetting for a week or more.

I've plot reset for a week or more and i've never had anyone move out in that period of time. I think when you plot reset it prevents them from moving, since the villager intended to move in technically hasn't placed their plot yet, meaning nobody can move in or out.